Marathon Pundit has obtained copies of the plea agreements of Joseph Cari and Steven Loren.
In them, a "Public Official A" is mentioned.
From the Daily Herald:
Corruption plea deal turns spotlight on governor
‘High-ranking official’ may have rewarded campaign donors, court papers reveal
A “high-ranking public official” and two “close associates” may have rewarded campaign donors with fees from lucrative suburban teacher pension consulting contracts, federal prosecutors disclosed in court Thursday.
The high-ranking official and his associates also may have picked lawyers, investment firms and consultants who did business with several state pension funds as part of a campaign fund-raising strategy, the court filing alleged.
While the U.S. attorney’s office would not comment on the identity of the high-ranking official, named “Public Official A” in court documents, two sources familiar with the court filing said he is Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Those same sources, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity, identified one of the two “associates” as Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a top Blagojevich fund-raiser.
Neither Blagojevich nor Rezko has been charged with any wrongdoing.
When asked if Blagojevich is Public Official A, Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said, “We don’t know who Public Official A is. The only people who know are the federal government.”
Well, it could be worse for Governor Blagojevich. At least he wasn't called an "unidicted co-conspirator."
Even most Democrats give Blago at best mixed reviews in his performance as governor.
But both Democrats and Republicans wholeheartedly agree that the Illinois Democrat has exhibited a unique gift: raising piles of campaign cash. The last time I checked, Blagojevich had $14 million in his war chest.
The timing of the plea agreement is poor for Rod, as he was undoubtedly hoping that the upcoming corruption trial of his Republican predecessor, George Ryan, would deflect attention away from his rocky reign as Illinois' CEO.
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